Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1887-08-19
SIR EDWARDS REPORT.
HIS Recommendations TO THE Cousorr,
OF FoRrIeN BoNpHoLpERs.

Mr.. William T.. Royal, counsel o,
the foreign bondholders, received
from London a copy of tho report tc
the Council of Foreign Bondholderf
of the negotiations conducted a.
Richmond by the Right Hon. Sir Ed.
ward Thornton, G. G. b., and Mfr. S,
N. Braithewaite, on behalf of the En-
glish bondholders. The report ON.
braces all the documents which were
published by the Virginia Debt Com.
mission and about twenty pages de.
voted to a discussion Of Che subject.
Among other things the report
says;
WHAT THEY RECOMMEND.
1--WE recommend strongly TINT the
position of the Council and Bond.
holders Committee should bs further
strengthened by largor number of
bondholders depositing with the
Council their bonds, and thus show.
ing the State united front, and that
their action is sustained and endorsed
by tho vast majority Of the whole
body. b4 Y,;ls.s
'The following figures give some
indication of the position OF the two
political parties in the State: at the
election in 1885 the Democratic vote
cast for Gov. Lee was 152, 900 against
a Republican vote of 10000 for Mr..
Johns. Wise, the Republican candi-
date, or majority of 10000 only
less than z per cent. of the aggregate
vote to the two parties. In the last
census of the United States the total
population of Virginia is given aa
1,512,474, of whom SSO,85s were
white, and 631,6l8 colored. The
present population is estimated al
about 100000.
TUE UNwIsDoM OF TREATING WITH RE
| PUBLIoANs.
with regard, however, to tho Re
publicans, whilst political consistency
cannot be claimed by either. fsa-!y, il
must not be forgotten that they are
the authors of the Riddleberger act,
and are pledged to it, and that it was
to oust them from power that the
Democratic party, after resisting the
arrangement for which it provides,
pledged themselves to adopt and up.
hold it as the only means whereby
they could secure the popular vote,
and that they appear to consider it
would be fatal to their political as
tendency to attempt to depart very
far from its provisions. It should
also be borne in mind that the ma.
jority of the Republican party con-
sists of the colored population, which,
having no financial stake in the coun-
try, is opposed to any settlement be-
ing arrived at on other than the
terms of the Riddleberger act.
EXPRESSING REGRET AND HOPE.
s'In conclusion, we would add that
whilst regretting that our efforts to
bring about n settlement have not
been crowned with success, we hope
that the information we have obtain
ed, and the insight we have acquired
into the internal economy of the
State, may be of use in enabling. the
bondholders to better appreciate the
actual position of affairs, and may be
some guide to them in the determin
alton as to the course they will adopt
in the future.
RETURNING THAMES.
"Goy. Fitzhugh Lee in inviting the
conference was. we believe, actuated
by sincere desire to bring about q
settlement OF the disturbing question
of the State debt, on basis satisfac
tory alike to the State and the bond
holders, and our thanks and those oi
the bondholders are due to him fo,
the efforts he has made with the view
to this end, and for the assistance he
gave ua whilst in Richmond. To hin
and Mr. Charles e. Stuart, the Speak
er OF the House of Assembly and
chairman OF the joint COMMITTEES
and to other members OF that
committee we desire also, to express
our thanks for the courtesy and aid
which we received at their hands, az
well in affording US oil facilities VIC
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